---
title: Search
description: Find files by name or search Markdown text across the workspace.
category: Workspace
order: 30
---

# Search

Iliad has two sidebar search scopes: file names and document contents.

> Image to add: search-sidebar.png - File tree search open with Names and Contents scope controls and grouped text matches.

## What It Does

- `Names` searches file and folder names in the file tree.
- `Contents` searches saved Markdown text across the workspace.
- Search results can be navigated from the sidebar.
- Content matches open the file at the matching line when possible.

## How To Use It

Open the file tree search from the sidebar search button. On macOS, `Cmd-Option-F` opens it when focus is in the app sidebar; on other platforms use `Ctrl-Alt-F`. Choose `Names` to find a file or folder. Choose `Contents` to search inside Markdown documents.

In name search, use `Loose` to match letters in order, or turn it off for exact text matching. Use `Filter` to hide non-matching tree items.

In content search, use the controls for match case, whole word, and regular expressions.

Use `Enter` and `Shift-Enter` to move through matches. `Escape` or `Done` closes search.

## What To Expect

Content results are grouped by folder and file. File rows show match counts. Match rows show a line preview and open directly to the result.

If the active document has unsaved changes, Iliad tries to save it before searching content so results reflect the latest saved text.

## Limits

- Content search scans Markdown files only.
- Hidden, ignored, external, binary, and symlinked paths are skipped.
- Very large workspaces or files may be capped; Iliad reports when only the first matches are shown.
- Regular expression search reports invalid patterns instead of running them.
- Search does not replace text across files.
- Search is lexical, not semantic or AI-powered.